Suggestions on Slowing Down

[crazy11777 78]

Hi Guys-

I am looking for some suggestions to slow down while eating and taking smaller bites.... I know it sound so simple, but I find myself oblivious to this rule when eating. I think about it before I eat to remind myself, and after when I feel miserable. I have had episodes of regurgitation recently, and it scares me. Just wondering how some of you have made this a habit during this journey?

Thanks for your suggestions!

[bassetluv 22]

I try to do something else between bites - read a half page in a book, or play on my phone. It really helps me pause in between.

[Ready2Melt 14]

I use the 'Eating Slow' app on my iPhone. You can adjust to whatever speed you want.

[GuyMontag 1,264]

I put my utensil down between each bite and chew. I also do not get my next bite ready while I'm chewing like I used to do.

[mrsto 2,925]

If you do other things while eating, like watching TV, don't do it. Stay focused on each and every bite of your meal; pick up a small amount, and chew it until it pretty much disintegrates in your mouth. Before you pick up another bite, focus on feeling the prior one going all the way down. Then repeat.

For right now, until you retrain yourself, try and remove yourself from any and all distractions while eating. Once you become familiar and comfortable with how the new way of eating feels, it will start to become the new "normal". I take small bites & chew very well, but sometimes I find myself ready to take the next bite a bit too quickly. Even 6.5 months out, I still have to stop & refocus.

Good luck! It's quite a learning curve

[missybear 86]

When eating at home, using a teaspoon of oyster fork helps slow me down.

I also chew my food to the consistency i can swirl it around and push through my teeth before swallowing. Anything that feels too thick or solid, means chew more or if it won't chew down (skins on f&v, dry meats and fresh pineapples are often the culprits) best discreetly spit them out.

I've also found different people dining with me influence how fast I eat and I need to pay attention more to slowing down my eating and ignoring the pace they eat at.

Also avoid eating on the run. If u can't commit to 20-30 mins to consume a meal slowly, I've found it best to go back to liquid or a Protein shake based meal

[Sojourner 2,446]

I believe all of us have had to learn how to do this at some point...what has helped me is to have an awareness of what I am doing, I refer to it as mindful eating.

I use a smaller salad fork and look at every bite to be certain it is a small one. I count to make certain that I chew each bite at least 20 times, sometimes more if necessary. I put my fork down for 20 seconds between bites, no exceptions.

These suggestions may sound like an oversimplification of the obvious, but they have helped me slow down eating my meals.

Be certain to follow your surgeons directions regarding how long a meal should last. I was advised that I need to stop eating after 20 minutes.

[BayougirlMrsS 3,933]

Personally i think it never goes away.... After almost 4 years, i still catch my self eating too fast. Mostly when im not paying attention to what im doing.

Mrsto is correct with everything she said. When i first started, i sat at the table with my baby plate and baby fork I didn't read, talk, or watch tv. I concentrated on every single bite. I made sure the bite was no bigger than the nail bed of my pinky finger. I took my bite.... Put down my fork..... closed my eyes and really concentrated on what i was eating.... thought about what i was tasting... different spices.. etc. After i was finished chewing i swallowed. Then cut my next bite. and repeated. I eat all my Protein first then veggies then starch... if i was still hungry.

im including what i got from my dr. Of course you must follow what your doc says. Im just sending in case your doc didn't give you anything.

Best of luck.

[AZ Gary 149]

True Results gives you a 30 second egg timer. I get it out from time to time when I need to retrain myself.

[2muchfun 8,927]

I find that as the meal progresses I eat slower. It's that first 2-3 bites that usually get me stuck. I cook and sometimes the appetite is overwhelming by the time I sit down to eat and I wolf down the first few bites which causes the problem.

The times where I take a deep breath before that first bite are the times I can eat a normal slow meal without incident. It took me 10 months to get to where I could eat slower without incident. But, it's still a struggle now that I'm 22 months out.

tmf

[crazy11777 78]

Thanks everyone for the tips... I am 6 months out and down 73 pounds which makes me so happy, but this darn slow eating seems to give me the most problems.... I appreciate all the suggestions and will try them to find the right thing for me!

It gives me great comfort to know that I am not the only one who has this problem, and that everyone can relate to this problem.

Hope you are all having a wonderful day!

[erinjkenben 8]

These are great tips....just what the doctor ordered! I went into my appointment today pouting and whining a bit. I was sure I needed some liquid out because even though I am losing weight at a nice slow healthy pace, I have been throwing up after almost everything I ate. I have Dr. George Fielding at NYU who had the surgery himself, right off the bat he said I was eating too fast. I said no way, I'm practically not eating at all and that there must be something wrong with my band. Just to keep me quiet he sent me to have do the barium swallow. Of course the test came text book perfect. I really thought I had been eating slow....back to the drawing board.

[B-52 7,113]

Hi Guys-

I am looking for some suggestions to slow down while eating and taking smaller bites.... I know it sound so simple, but I find myself oblivious to this rule when eating. I think about it before I eat to remind myself, and after when I feel miserable. I have had episodes of regurgitation recently, and it scares me. Just wondering how some of you have made this a habit during this journey?

Thanks for your suggestions!

For me, the Band will force me to slow down, take small bites,...or else!

These are one of the rules that did not come into play until I had one or 2 fills, THEN it was necessary and the ONLY way I could eat....before that, it was just an exercise, practice for things to come....

After being forced to eat that way...one of the may new habits I needed to adapt to if I wanted the band to work, it has all now become matter of fact...don't even think about it anymore, it is just something that come naturally...as does many other things if I want to maintain the bands effectiveness....

Of course, I could get some Fluid taken out...then I could eat the way I want to, the way I used to eat when I was fat....but I much prefer the new way of eating resulting in the new me!